Leisure and Wellbeing
Sport and Health & Fitness
This wide sub sector covers businesses such as sporting clubs, sports stadia (football, athletics, etc) and health and fitness clubs.
Many health and fitness clubs no longer consist of a just a gym area, with weights and cardiovascular equipment, but now also incorporate facilities such as squash and tennis courts, swimming pools, a variety of classes and, in many, alternative therapies. This innovative diversity is necessary in order to satisfy the fickle nature of the population.
Numbers for both participants in and spectators of sport have increased over the past 4 years, although it is anticipated that the numbers for spectator sport have now stabilised.
Hospitality
The hospitality sub sector consists of businesses such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and many other tourist service providers.
Some of these businesses can be seasonal, and/or have high numbers of temporary minimum wage staff and are very dependant upon the world and UK economic situation. In order to attract and maintain customers, many now adopt innovative approaches beyond traditional activities, such as the explosion of "themed pubs", family dining areas in pubs and leisure clubs in hotels.
Businesses in this sector, particularly hotels, present particular features of risk such as remote locations, high proportions of combustible construction and proximity to the coast, rivers or lakes.
Health and Wellbeing
Once again, this sub sector is far ranging, covering private care, charities, surgeries, hairdressers, churches and alternative therapies.
A common theme throughout is service for care and support.
Other
The wide diversity of other business within the leisure market makes it difficult to summarise at individual activity levels. However, the market includes significant sub-segments relating to areas such as:
- Entertainment and the Arts - includes activities ranging from theatres, cinemas, bingo halls, museums and art galleries to theme parks, circus, zoos, nightclubs and similar.
- General Activities - such as social and working men's clubs, masonic lodges, special interest and hobby groups, etc.
Target Business
- Hospitality - family orientated pubs, guesthouses, cafes
- Sport and Health & Fitness - modern sports stadia, amateur sports clubs (e.g. bowls/tennis clubs), health and fitness clubs
- Others - non sporting, family orientated social clubs and working men's clubs
- Health and Wellbeing - surgeries (doctors, dentists, and vets), residential care homes for the elderly, hairdressers
